Storm Signals

Was reading something by Gordon MacDonald in "When Men Think Private Thoughts" & this portion I read was very meaningful & doesn't seem like something exclusive to guys so I'm going to share a little here. Hope it benefits you as it did me!

What Storm Signals Means (Alarm bells within self that signals trouble is brewing - do a check for yourself here)
1) Moods
- Watch out for bursts of anger, prolonged bouts of sadness & continuing feelings of irritation that goes beyond the normal.
- Are you overcome with intense sadness? Are you able to celebrate with someone in his success? Why do you see gloom & bleakness in every possibility?
- It would be good to reflect upon your changing moods & what they really mean. And it would have been the right moment for a courageous fren to step in & question you & your abnormal moods & behaviour.

2) Predominant thoughts
- Thoughts that are almost always out of control. Thoughts that emerge without warning.
- Why are these uninvited thoughts growing in frequency & variety? What is the underlying message?

3) A change in key relationships
- If I find myself jealous of other peoples whose fortunes have advanced beyond my own, if I begin to think of people competitively as better than or not as good as I am, etc etc, I am getting some fairly strong signals that something in my soul has gone sour...

4) Defensiveness
-We're dealing with storm signals when we react to difficult moments with defensiveness, complaining, or whining.
- I'm defensive when I resist any attempts to evaluate my work or my life - performance. I refuse to listen, to consider that anyone might offer a different outlook on what I'm doing or becoming. Thus, I become angry or make excuses or try to deflect the blame to someone else.
- Difficulty in listening to difficult news about self. You want to give one excuse after another. You spend more time trying to explain yourself than you do listening & asking where the point of truth might be. 5) Sleeplessness

- You're probably getting a storm signal when the body cries for sleep but the mind doesn't permit it to happen. It's time to ask why!

- If the quiet messages of the soul are resisted in the daytime hours, it is not unusual that the soul will speak more persistently in the night time.

Taking the time, the effort, the opening of the ear & eye to hear & watch the stomr signals that send their messages to us that something is wrong, that something needs correction, that something needs assistance. In so doing the hurricanes are tamed, & life goes on in greater fullness & maturity. ~ Gordon MacDonald

My latest toy

"The Samsung YP-S3 weighs under 2 ounces and measure 1.7 by 3.7 by 0.4 inches. The controls on the front of the player are backlit, touch-sensitive buttons that seem to disappear when not in use, an effect that Samsung has used before on some players but that's particularly cool here. The typical navigation arrows and Play/Pause/Enter button are complemented by a control that takes you back to the previous menu and the extra features button for various options, depending upon the menu you're navigating."

My big problem is I tend to tune the volume up to the "near max" sometimes. Not very healthy la.

It's coolz to have music to chill out now and then,. But I need to remind myself not to be a social recluse at the expense of enjoying music. In office, there are many times I didn't hear my colleagues calling me or saying goodbye as the phones are plugged in. Sorry, I'll remember to tune it down .....unless I'm really really REALLY STRESSED!!!! :)